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Home > Archive > Jul 19, 2007

Volunteering All in a Day’s Work
By Cami Cox
Staff Writer
In the presence of former president George Bush and in the midst of the largest national gathering of volunteers and service leaders in the United States, a local woman was recently honored for her outstanding community service.
Winny van Gils, 88, of St. George, received a Spirit of Service Award from the Corporation for National and Community Service for her accomplishments as an Americorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America). Van Gils was recognized, among other volunteers, at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, which took place July 16 – 18; and it was only fitting that America's outstanding service volunteers be honored in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love.
“I can't believe she won!” Debbie Justice, director of the Learning Center for Families in St. George, said.
Formerly van Gils' VISTA project supervisor, Justice nominated van Gils for the national honor and was amazed to receive news that she had been chosen from among applicants across the country. But the award is very deserved, she said.
“Winny is a life of service. Everything she does is service,” Justice said. “She's just a good person.”
Van Gils served two years in the St. George area as part of Americorps VISTA, a program implemented throughout the country since 1965 to alleviate and eliminate poverty. Americorps places VISTA volunteers at nonprofit agencies throughout the U.S., and the volunteers serve one-year terms at those agencies. During their VISTA service, volunteers are paid only a small living stipend and are completely dedicated to their project sites – they cannot have other jobs while serving with VISTA.
Van Gils completed her first VISTA term at the Erin Kimball Memorial Foundation, a local organization serving women and children who have been affected by domestic violence. She spent her year of service recruiting volunteers, raising funds and organizing the Living Angels, a support network of volunteers for the Erin Kimball Foundation.
“That's what VISTAs do – they raise money and raise awareness,” Justice said.
As part of her VISTA service, van Gils also secured a donation of land to start a community garden for St. George residents, which is now located between Pine View Middle School and Panorama Elementary. Erin Kimball families, local students and developmentally disabled adults from the Arc of Washington County volunteered at the garden, learning about gardening from van Gils and growing produce. At harvest time, surplus food from the garden was donated to the Erin Kimball Foundation.
When van Gils' first VISTA year concluded, she got involved again, this time as a VISTA for the Learning Center for Families, Justice's organization.
“She raised $25,000 for our agency,” Justice said. “She took the whole Chamber of Commerce list, which is like a thousand phone numbers long, and called every single business.”
Upon completion of her VISTA terms, Van Gils didn't cut ties with those she served at her various project sites; she is still actively involved with each one, though she is no longer compensated for her time.
“I've stayed with all my VISTA projects,” van Gils said. “I really love them all.”
In addition to her work as a VISTA, van Gils is a foster grandparent at East Elementary School, donating hours of her time each week to tutoring young children. She is still actively involved with the Living Angels group and serves as vice chair of that organization, and she still runs the community garden. Van Gils also volunteers in the wound clinic at the hospital and is a local service missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
“I've volunteered my whole adult life,” she said. “I like to be busy, and I like people. You make many friends, and it makes you feel so good.”
A widow and the mother of six children, van Gils is originally from Indonesia. When a tsunami ravaged that country in 2004, she sprang into action to raise money locally to aid the people of her homeland. She solicited food donations from St. George merchants and hosted a fundraising banquet at a local church, raising more than $7,000 for the tsunami relief. But such service and effort is all in a day's work for van Gils.
“I was raised that way,” she said. “Many people are so very busy, and it doesn't make them happy, that busy, busy life. But volunteer work really makes you feel good. And it goes along with all religions, Christian and non-Christian. They all teach you to help your neighbor.”
Van Gils’ example of tireless service should be an inspiration to everyone, Justice said.

For more information about the Corporation for National and Community Service and Americorps VISTA, call 1-800-942-2677 or visit www.americorps.gov.

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